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I have had bilateral lower costal margin (lower rib margin) pain, flank pain for about 8 years .
Pain pattern
Pain starts within 1 second of sitting.
Standing reduces the pain by about 90% within 10 seconds.
Walking causes only 2–5% pain.
Before getting out of bed in the morning, I have no pain.
Lying down causes about 20% pain.
The pain is spread across both lower rib margins, not one small point.
The sensation is mainly pressure/tightness, not burning or stabbing.
The pain is NOT affected by
Deep breathing
Coughing
Sneezing
Meals
Leaning forward
Hard vs. soft chair
Pressing on the painful area
Tests reported as normal
CBC
ESR
CRP
Vitamin D
Vitamin B12
Urine tests
Chest X-ray
Abdominal ultrasound
Thoracic (dorsal) spine MRI
Upper GI endoscopy
Musculoskeletal ultrasound of the anterior abdominal wall
Chest wall MRI has been performed, and the report is expected today.
Treatments tried..."I have just received my chest MRI report today."
Dec 2025–May 2026: Started with a long-lasting dry cough. All tests were completely normal: Chest X-ray, PFT (breathing test), FeNO (airway swelling test), and IgE (allergy blood test).
June 5, 2026: Due to the ongoing cough and normal tests, the doctor gave a provisional diagnosis of Cough Variant Asthma and prescribed a Foracort 400 rotahaler twice daily.
After June 5: Developed new, severe breathlessness and air hunger. This included a scary episode of sudden breathing struggle while sitting in my living room directly under the AC vent with the front door open.
• Inhaler Response: Mixed. Sometimes Foracort significantly helps open my chest; other times it goes on its own
• My Query: I am seeking a second opinion to confirm if this provisional diagnosis is correct, why my breathlessness started after June 5, and why the inhaler works only sometimes magically n sometimes slowly.
I am 37 and live in the usa since 2010. Born and broughtup in India and visit India every year. Recently i got tested (blood) for TB for my green card application and to my surprise it turned out to be positive. I have no symptoms. Then they checked my xray which was normal. So the doctor said that i seem to be having latent tb. 1 in 10 people having this condition can later develop active tb and hence i should consult a specialist and start preventive treatment.
What should be done next?
I should take treatment or not and i have heard the side effects of medicines can be gruesome
I have thyroid. Except that no other problem.
Hello dr "
Chronic cough and breathlessness for 6–7 years. Asthma treatment not helping. PFT shows severe obstruction (FEV1 41%, FEV1/FVC 57%). ESR 25 and CRP positive. CT chest normal. Also having chest pain, palpitations, muscle and joint pain. What could be the diagnosis and which specialist should I consult. "Despite treatment, my PFT values continue to decline."
Previous week I have cold after that I have phlegm with blood last 2 days the phlegm colour brown sometime brown sometime white ao I do x ray what was in the report? What happen?
